Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Madeira

For one person, living is cheaper in Madeira: $1,597 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Buenos Aires despite lower rent and utilities.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Madeira
Learn more

Madeira Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,597

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buenos Aires and in Madeira

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Buenos Aires and in Madeira actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,597 in Madeira.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Madeira $1,597

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $2,383 in Madeira.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Madeira $2,383

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $3,169 in Madeira.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Madeira $3,169

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 6% more expensive than in Madeira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 26% above, Madeira 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$11.62 €10.37

61.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$46.16 €41.19

39.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$9.12 €8.14

41.23%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$2.10 €1.88

89.52%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$1.85 €1.65

10.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$1.43 €1.27

8.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$2.27 €2.03

69.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$3.54 €3.16

29.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$1.09 €0.98

32.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$1.53 €1.37

60.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.60 €1.43

1.87%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$2.99 €2.67

-3.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$11.53 €10.29

-7.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$7.69 €6.86

30.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$14.00 €12.49

-1.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$2.35 €2.10

17.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.41 €1.26

54.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$1.80 €1.61

-19.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$2.50 €2.23

-20.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$1.51 €1.34

-17.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.92 €1.72

-33.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$1.55 €1.38

9.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.84 €0.75

105.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$6.04 €5.39

-30.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$5.22 €4.66

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$1.30 €1.16

60.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$2.32 €2.07

19.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$2.36 €2.11

-68.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$42.32 €37.77

-35.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$4.28 €3.82

-62.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$0.79 €0.71

24.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$17.53 €15.65

-55.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.90 €1.69

-28.42%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$35.4K €31.6K

-20.80%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$39.1K €34.9K

-11.64%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$216 ARS 326.9K

$134 €120

60.87%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$20.90 €18.65

22.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$41.95 €37.44

-25.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$43.41 €38.74

14.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$17.37 €15.50

-1.78%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$8.35 €7.45

24.91%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$466 ARS 706.7K

$473 €422

-1.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$8,183 €7,303

10.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$74.7 €66.7

63.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$38.11 €34.01

155.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$91.9 €82.0

27.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$92.8 €82.8

50.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$914 €816

-16.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$717 €640

-29.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$1,446 €1,291

10.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$1,145 €1,021

3.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$3,012 €2,688

-11.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$2,356 €2,103

-21.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

5.01

1042.71%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Madeira: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Madeira

$717 45.1% 42% $212

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Madeira

$246 15.5% 13.5% $38

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Madeira

$177 11.1% 36.5% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Madeira

$197 12.4% 27.8% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Madeira

$134 8.4% 37.5% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Madeira

$60 3.8% 15% $11

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Madeira

$60 3.8% 63.9% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $914 in Madeira. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $46.00 in Madeira for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $246 per month, with Madeira cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇵🇹 Madeira

🕒 Local time

05:51 5:51 AM

09:51 9:51 AM

4 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

154

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Madeira 8,650 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Madeira

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Buenos Aires vs Madeira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Madeira differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $1,597 including rent). Madeira is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,528 in Buenos Aires and $2,395 in Madeira to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $914 in Madeira. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $473 in Madeira. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,597 in Madeira versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Madeira but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Madeira the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Madeira are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Madeira gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.